Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Wednesday, March 18, 2020 6:15 p.m. Transcript No. 30-2-1 Legislative Assembly of Alberta The 30th Legislature Second Session Special Standing Committee on Members’ Services Cooper, Hon. Nathan M., Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills (UCP), Chair Ellis, Mike, Calgary-West (UCP), Deputy Chair Dang, Thomas, Edmonton-South (NDP) Deol, Jasvir, Edmonton-Meadows (NDP) Ganley, Kathleen T., Calgary-Mountain View (NDP) Goehring, Nicole, Edmonton-Castle Downs (NDP) Goodridge, Laila, Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche (UCP) Long, Martin M., West Yellowhead (UCP) Neudorf, Nathan T., Lethbridge-East (UCP) Walker, Jordan, Sherwood Park (UCP) Williams, Dan D.A., Peace River (UCP) Support Staff Shannon Dean Clerk Helen Cheng Executive Assistant to the Clerk Stephanie LeBlanc Clerk Assistant and Senior Parliamentary Counsel Teri Cherkewich Law Clerk Lianne Bell Chief of Staff to the Speaker Megan Ducker Special Assistant to the Speaker Jody Rempel Committee Clerk Chris Caughell Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Link Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Ruth McHugh Executive Director of Corporate Services Darren Joy Senior Financial Officer Lyndsay Tischer Director of Human Resources Janet Schwegel Director of Parliamentary Programs Amanda LeBlanc Deputy Editor of Alberta Hansard Transcript produced by Alberta Hansard March 18, 2020 Members’ Services MS-27 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2020 someday in 2040 will be available on Retro Members’ Services Title: Wednesday, March 18, 2020 ms Committee Hour. I added that part in there. It’s not really going to [Mr. Cooper in the chair] happen. Let’s move to point 2, approval of the agenda. Are there any The Chair: Well, hon. members, good evening. I’d like to call this additions or revisions to today’s meeting agenda? If not, I would meeting to order. invite a member to move the agenda as presented. Ms Goodridge. I’d like to begin the meeting by asking members who are joining Any debate, discussion, questions, or comments? Seeing none. All the committee at the table to introduce themselves for the record, those in favour of approving the agenda as presented, please say and then I will call on members joining via teleconference to also aye. Any opposed, please say no. On the phone? That motion is introduce themselves. I believe we have a member on the line. I’d carried. like to just go around the table beginning with Jody, and we’ll go Approval of the minutes of January 20, 2020. Are there any all the way around, please. amendments to the minutes from our last committee meeting? If not, I’d be happy to entertain a motion to approve the minutes as Ms Rempel: Jody Rempel, committee clerk. presented. Member Long, please, for the motion to approve the Mr. Ellis: Mike Ellis, Calgary-West. minutes as presented. Are there any questions, comments, discussions, or additions, omissions? Seeing none. All those in favour Mr. Neudorf: Nathan Neudorf, Lethbridge-East. of approving the minutes of January 20, 2020, as moved by the Member for West Yellowhead, please say aye. Any opposed, please Ms Goodridge: Laila Goodridge, Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche. say no. On the phones? That motion is carried. Item number 4, the annual adjustments. As a way of background Mr. Williams: Dan Williams, MLA for Peace River. for members, under the Legislative Assembly Act there shall be Mr. Walker: Jordan Walker, Sherwood Park. paid to members an “allowance at the rate per year prescribed by the Members’ Services Committee,” and that the allowance “shall Mr. Long: Martin Long, West Yellowhead. be paid in monthly amounts of not more than 1/12 of the rate of the yearly allowance.” Based on approved motions of the Standing Ms Ducker: Megan Ducker, special assistant to the Speaker. Committee on Members’ Services on August 6, 2019, a 5 per cent reduction was applied to MLAs’ remuneration. The current Mr. Link: Paul Link, Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. indemnity allowance for MLAs is $120,936. On April 1 of each Ms Ganley: Kathleen Ganley, Calgary-Mountain View. year the MLA indemnity allowance shall be increased or decreased by the year-over-year percentage increase or decrease in Alberta’s Ms Goehring: Good evening. Nicole Goehring, MLA for all-items consumer price index, CPI, published by Statistics Canada Edmonton-Castle Downs. for the immediate preceding calendar year. The consumer price index against which the MLA remuneration is set is the price of a Ms Tischer: Lyndsay Tischer, human resource services, Legislative basket of goods and services purchased by Albertans as determined Assembly Office. by Statistics Canada. This Alberta CPI is collected per month, averaged for the year, and the percentage change is derived Ms Cherkewich: Teri Cherkewich, Law Clerk. indicating the change over the previous year’s. The change in 2019 over 2018 is 1.73 per cent. Ms Dean: Shannon Dean, Clerk. As committee members are aware, there is a provision in three of The Chair: My name is Nathan Cooper. I’m the MLA for the the Members’ Services Committee orders for member remuneration outstanding constituency of Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills and the to be increased or decreased on April 1 of each year. However, on Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta. August 6, 2019, the committee passed a motion which reduced On the phone, Member Dang. members’ compensation by 5 per cent and made further reductions to the remuneration of Executive Council. As a result, the necessary Mr. Dang: Good evening. Thomas Dang, MLA for Edmonton- changes were made to three orders: Executive Council salaries South. order, section 1.1(2); members’ allowances order, section 4.1(2); members’ committee allowances order, section 2(2). With this The Chair: Well timed. Welcome, Jasvir. If you’d like to introduce background, I would like to open the floor for discussion with yourself for the record. respect to the annual CPI increase for MLA pay, and I believe Member Neudorf has some comments that he would like to put on Mr. Deol: Jasvir Deol, MLA for Edmonton-Meadows. Thank you. the record. The Chair: Excellent. Thank you. Mr. Neudorf: Thank you, Chair. Just some brief comments. I The meeting agenda and other documents are available on the believe that at this time it is responsible for us to defer this increase, committee internal website for members’ information. I’d like to so I do have a motion to be made at whatever time. Is this the time also thank everyone for your co-operation in ensuring today’s that you’d like me to read that motion? meeting could proceed as I know it has been on short notice. Before we turn to the business at hand, a few operational items. The Chair: If you’d like to move a motion at this time, you’re The microphone consoles are operated by Hansard staff. Please welcome to do so. keep your mobile devices on silent and off the table for the duration It looks like Calgary-West would like to provide some comments of the meeting. Audio and video of the committee proceedings are prior to doing so. streamed live on the Internet, broadcast on Alberta Assembly TV, and recorded by Hansard. Audio and video access and meeting Mr. Ellis: Yeah. Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I just want to transcripts are obtained via the Legislative Assembly website and say that, you know, although I appreciate the spirit of the 29th MS-28 Members’ Services March 18, 2020 Legislature and what they were trying to do in forward thinking, no inappropriate with other indexations that have been halted in this Legislature, not past, not current, not any government around the recent budget. We feel it is only responsible for us to do the same world, could be having foresight into what we are experiencing with our wages at this time. right now regarding COVID-19 and, obviously, the unbelievable economic losses that are being faced here in Alberta. With that, I The Chair: Is there anyone else wishing to provide a comment with just wanted to add additional context to what is going on right now, respect to the motion before us? and I thank Member Neudorf for the motion that he is about to go forward with. Mr. Dang: Thomas Dang here. Thank you. The Chair: MLA Dang. The Chair: Why don’t we take that motion from the member, and Mr. Dang: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My only comment or question, then if there are other folks who would like to provide additional I guess, is that I think this is very similar to what was introduced in comments with respect to whatever that motion might be, I’d be the 29th Legislature if not maybe even identical. I seem to recall happy to do that. that we can’t bind a future Legislature, which is the same thing that Member Neudorf, please. happened in the 29th Legislature. So if I’m correct, the 31st Mr. Neudorf: Thank you, Chair. Legislature will have the opportunity to repeal this even if that 180 Moved by Nathan Neudorf that the following Members’ Services days does not elapse. Otherwise, I just want some clarity from Committee orders be amended as follows: perhaps your end or the Clerk, but otherwise I think generally I (a) The Executive Council salaries order is amended by adding would be supportive of this. the following immediately after section 1.1(1): Thank you. (2) Despite subsection (1.1), the salaries referred to in that subsection must not be increased or decreased as The Chair: Ms Dean or the Law Clerk with respect to potential provided in that subsection during the period concerns.